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Strawberry Mansion

The Northern Liberties Neighbors Association's rejection of the Cambridge Lofts proposal triggers a thoughtful review of the whole issue of transit-oriented development in that neighborhood - and beyond; some real estate pros say the Revel casino can enjoy an more profitable afterlife as a mixed-use residential-commercial property; the Mercantile Library on Chestnut Street might still be saved, but another modest Midcentury Modern landmark in the next block west won't be so lucky; and the city takes a step towards turning an unused reservoir in Strawberry Mansion into a haven not only for migrating birds (which already make it a stopover point) but also neighborhood residents:

The tricky politics of transit-oriented development in Northern Liberties

Apartment investor Daniel Kline loves Philly, he says - he was born and raised here. So why isn't he putting his money where his heart is? Let him explain; Work begins on a new, green (or at least greenish) affordable housing development in Strawberry Mansion; The arrival of Vince on Walnut Street triggers a look at the emerging uniquely Philly style of the changing and growing Rittenhouse Row district; and as a nationwide study shows urban "gayborhoods" are getting straighter, Philly Now takes a look at the changing hues beneath the rainbow-flag street signs of our own:

Lunchtime Quick Hits

One Riverside will get built, but that didn't stop Fitler Square-area residents from loudly voicing objections to Carl Dranoff's planned apartment tower at the Center City Residents' Association meeting last night; The Philly Post picks its "5 Projects Changing Philly For The Better"; what say you to its choices?; It doesn't matter whether the Justice Department's attempt to block the US Airways-American Airlines merger succeeds or fails - US Airways will maintain its chokehold on PHL regardless; andthe Northeast Times revisits the history of St. Katharine Drexel's family summer home as Aria Health begins a construction project at its Torresdale campus, which includes the home and a religious retreat the family built:
By-right…

Lunchtime Quick Hits

Home2 isn't just an architectural bomb, it's an economic-development one, too; where residents in other hot Philly neighborhoods fight density, those in Logan Square embrace it; might Pope Francis stop by Philly's Ukranian Catholic cathedral on an anticipated visit in 2015? Brad Maule takes a look at the Ukranians' 1960s building boom; and while he didn't know it then, a photographer for the City of Philadelphia managed to capture the city's depopulation at its start:
New Philly Hotel Gets Economic Development and Design Wrong (Next City)
High-rise development spikes in Logan Square (Flying Kite)
A Hope for the Pope Under the Gold Dome (Hidden City Daily)
Novelty in 1954: A Vacant Lot in North Philadelphia (PhillyHistory Blog)

Lunchtime Quick Hits

A local entrepreneur's service lets house-hunters take walkthroughs of homes they're interested in without leaving their living rooms; economist Joel Naroff says it's time to empty some of the city's half-empty neighborhoods and move the residents to others that can be served cost-effectively while landbanking the empty ones for eventual reuse; a battle is brewing over the future of what's left of Androssan, the Montgomery Scott family estate that comprises the last large chunk of open space left in Radnor Township; and Cedar Park residents give their community association guidance on the neighborhood's future direction:
He offers a video database for buyers and real estate pros (Philly.com)
Failure to Adapt (The Philadelphia…

Cool jazz on a hot night for the John Coltrane House

John Coltrane lived in Philadelphia for a little more than a decade, but he seems to have left a pretty big fingerprint on the city's jazz history. The interest in his legend has been kept alive, and earlier this year the newly formed Philadelphia Jazz Coalition became involved in the campaign to restore the Strawberry Mansion home where he lived. In a Huffington Post article this past spring, Kathy Matheson referred to the drive as "a preservation effort that mirrors a broader mission to reclaim and promote Philadelphia's rich jazz heritage."
Coltrane left for New York in 1958, but the home remained in the Coltrane family for years after his death in 1967. Coltrane fan Norman Gadson purchased it…

PHA auctioning off lots of lots

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) is putting nearly 200 vacant lots and houses on the auction block.
The properties, located throughout the city, are being sold by the PHA in hopes that private individuals will put them back to good use.
Unlike with previous PHA auctions, the properties being auctioned this time around are being offered as individual lots. The goal this time is not to attract big developers but to encourage neighborhood residents and small property owners to build or rehabilitate the properties.
The bulk of the properties being auctioned off are located in North Philadelphia, but there are also properties available in West, South, Southwest and Northwest Philadelphia.
The PHA will require…

Realtors propose going long on tax abatement for lower-income neighborhoods

City Council member W. Wilson Goode Jr.'s proposal to place a cap on the value of construction eligible for the city's 10-year tax abatement has drawn opposition from the city's development community, with both the Building Industry Association (BIA) and the Greater Philadelphia Association of Realtors (GPAR) lobbying against it. In a move that could change the whole debate over the abatement's benefits, the Realtors have put a proposal of their own on the table: Instead of limiting it, expand it in a big way to stimulate construction of more affordable housing.
GPAR President Allan Domb said his group has drafted a proposal that would add a 25-year tax abatement for new…

Another abandoned-lot strategy: Let the neighbors take them over

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] An abandoned lot is transfomed into an attractive side yard by a honeowner who simply took it over. A pair of University of Michigan researchers have come to the conclusion that such "squatting" may be beneficial for deteriorating neighborhoods.[/caption]
Squatters, in general, are viewed as parasites on the body real estate, moving into empty apartments and helping accelerate their deterioration.
In Detroit, it appears, they play a different role: beautifiers of abandoned lots.
A University of Michigan researcher has documented a phenomenon where homeowners in a northwest Detroit neighborhood that has experienced significant abandonment…

Lunchtime Quick Hits

The tale of Strawberry Mansion High School captures the dilemma both neighbors and the School District face as the latter prepares to close 37 schools; a commercial real estate agent attempts to make the case for building a new skyscraper in Philly; Thriving cities need bad buildings every bit as much as they need good ones; and it looks like someone disapproves of Temple's new Morgan Hall project - we wonder who?
In Philly, the struggle to make high school work pits sentiment vs. data (Newsworks|WHYY)
Why would anyone build a skyscraper in Philly? ("PhillyDeals" blog|Philly.com)
Vibrant cities roll with the punches (SFGate.com)
Another Arson Fire Hits High-Rise Dorm Under Construction at Temple U. (CBS Philly)

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I used Mikhal for my first home purchase. She came highly recommended by a family friend. She did not disappoint! Mikhal was extremely responsive and honest throughout the process. There was no BS, which is exactly what I needed being a first time buyer. Even though I…